Birds and Bees: Hinata
by Romez
Summary: Naruto walked down the streets, wondering who he should ask. After all, most people seemed pretty freaked out when they are asked how babies are made. Suddenly, he spotted Hinata and ran to her.
1. Fun

Hinata shifted uncomfortably on her bed. She felt embarrassed and her rosy pink cheeks gave testament to that. She took a quick glance at the boy before her and averted her eyes when she saw him look back. Her face took on a fiery red color as she felt her embarrassment go up a notch.

Suddenly, said boy spoke up. "Well… you didn't really have to accept Hinata. I could just ask someone else if it bothers you."

"No! It's ok!" She quickly spoke up only to stop from the surprised look Naruto had given her. "S-Sorry Naruto-kun…"

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry about it. Just take your time I guess. I mean… I'm guessing it must be pretty hard to talk about how babies are made."

The red on her face contrasted to her pale complexion, making her look like a lollipop of sorts. "Y-Yea…"

Currently, Naruto was in Hinata's room. For a girl, it was surprisingly messy. Well… from a girl's point of view it was messy. For Naruto, it was a hell of a lot cleaner than his. The only mess that was actually in the room was some scattered ninja equipment and… an orange plushie that looked surprisingly like him. Strange.

Noticing what Naruto was looking at, she quickly tried averting his attention by speaking up. "S-So Naruto-kun. W-What is it that you w-wanted to know exactly?"

It was a success and Naruto turned his attention towards her. "Well… I mean… How does it all get started I guess."

"O-oh… well…" Hinata paused. What exactly was she going to say to Naruto? It was a surprise that he had even come to her for help in the first place. Then, she suddenly realized that he was in _her_ room. Her blush became even redder, if possible. Then, she fainted.

Naruto couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "This is the third time today!" Again he sighed, "Well, at least this time she was on the bed and didn't fall on the floor."

XXXxxxXXX

After a moment, Hinata started to stir. Even though she had only been out for a minute or so, she had had the most incredible dream of her life! She had dreamt that Naruto had been in her room, and they had been talking with each other. But soon her mind had come back to reality and when she opened her eyes, they locked with bright cerulean ones.

"Yo! Glad to see your awake!" Naruto said. He had been kneeling besides Hinata's bed, gazing at her. Why he had decided to do that, he couldn't figure out. But he had enjoyed seeing her sleeping face, which was had been peaceful and oddly content. Then, when she had opened her eyes, he had greeted her.

This lead to him nearly becoming deaf as Hinata gave a high-pitched scream. She scrambled for a moment, completely forgetting it had been her idea to bring Naruto to her room in the first place.

"WAH!" Naruto said as he flew backwards, completely caught off-guard. Who knew Hinata could be so loud?

After regaining her senses, Hinata blushed and apologized profusely. "I'm s-so sorry N-Naruto-kun! I c-completely forgot that y-you were here." She barely whispered as she hugged her orange pillow closer to her frame.

Naruto simply grinned as he got back into his chair. "Heh, no problem! I'm just surprised you could be so loud Hinata!"

Hinata felt the warmth within her turn into a blush on her cheeks. "S-Sorry…"

"It's ok Hinata. But being loud can be a good thing too. Everyone will notice you more!" Naruto gave Hinata a foxy grin which she found very attractive.

"I guess I should." Hinata murmured.

"What was that Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing Naruto-kun." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What? Can't hear you Hinata!" Naruto practically yelled.

"I said it was nothing Naruto-kun." Hinata repeated, feeling a bit flustered. She was not used to her voice being loud and though she loved Naruto, she wished he could hear better. Little did she know that this was actually an intricate plot to make her speak up.

"What! Still can't hear ya Hinata!" Naruto repeated, coaxing her to use a stronger voice.

Hinata clutched her pillow harder, beginning to feel annoyed. "It was NOTHING Naruto-kun." Her voice said, much louder than it usually was.

Naruto smiled on the inside. Just one more push. He scratched his chin, feigning ignorance, before saying, "Sorry Hinata… I still can't hear you."

Finally having had enough of it, she actually yelled, "I said it was NOTHING!" and to Naruto's surprise, she actually threw the pillow she had been holding at him.

Realizing what she had just done, she immediately began to apologize. But she was stopped when she heard Naruto laughing, like he had enjoyed what had just happened. A dumbfounded look made itself present on her face when Naruto said, "Finally I got you to speak up!"

"W-What?" She asked dumbly.

Naruto merely smiled. "I just didn't expect you to chunk this pillow at me." Naruto juggled the pillow with his hands for a moment, contemplating something. Then, with a naughty grin, he threw the pillow back at a surprised Hinata.

Due to his ninja training, it had hit Hinata squarely on the face. She had made a slight squeak of surprise, but smiled afterwards seeing the playful look on Naruto's face.

Naruto smiled, feeling relaxed. He realized that Hinata actually had a nice voice. It was a shame that she didn't speak up to often. If she did, then everyone could hear how nice it sounded. For a moment, Naruto wondered why those thoughts had come into his head. But he didn't think long as he suddenly felt something soft hit his face, then his stomach, causing him to fall backwards on his chair.

With sudden fear, she crawled to the side of her bed and looked over. "Are you ok Naruto-kun?" Not a second had passed before she uttered those words than a pillow had retaliated and smacked her in the face once again.

"Come on Hinata! Where's your ninja training?" Naruto mocked playfully as he held one pillow in his right hand, a grin on his face.

Hinata couldn't help but smile as she grabbed two more pillows from her bed. "That's more like it!" Naruto exclaimed before he threw his pillow, thus initiating the fight.

Hinata easily dodged the incoming pillow and threw both of her own with overwhelming power. Naruto could only gasp as one pillow barely missed his face by mere inches while the other one clipped him on the leg. "I'm wounded!" Naruto shouted as he fell to the floor. But it was actually a feint as he picked up both pillows and threw the one in his left hand back at Hinata.

It was intercepted in mid-air, amazingly. This moment of surprise caused him to fall prey to a barrage of pillows. It was almost like machine gun fire as pillows bombarded him, starting from his right shoulder all the way down to his left knee. Naruto looked at the pillows beside his feet, while dropping the one in his other hand, and then he looked at Hinata.

"Wow… that was… how did you do that?" Naruto asked, truly surprised. He hadn't even seen her move!

Hinata had the grace to blush, but she was actually quite pleased with herself. She had proven Naruto she was strong though… it had only been a pillow fight. Shyly, she replied, "I'm just… that good?"

Naruto gave Hinata a blank look. Then, he laughed… hard. He didn't know why, but the way she had said it and the look on her face had made it all seem so funny! That and she looked adorably cute with that look… a look of innocence and happiness.

For once in Hinata's life, she found the urge to laugh. At first it had been a bit stifled, like she hadn't known how too. All she had ever done when she was happy was offer a genuine smile, but never a laugh. Now it seemed like some flood breaking out of a dam as the urge to laugh rose. Now, she was laughing so hard that she actually clutched her stomach because it hurt. Then, she snorted.

Both Naruto and Hinata stopped laughing to look at each other. A moment of silence… then… they began laughing again at Hinata's snort. So caught up in their laughter that they hadn't noticed someone peeking through Hinata's door. The hard eyes that had been observing the two softened. A smile tugged on the man's lips before he decided to leave the two alone to their fun time. Hyuuga Hiashi might be strict, but he definitely wasn't the cold-hearted bastard most people had made him out to be.

After two minutes, the laughter began to die down. Both had tears flowing down their cheeks due to how hard they had laughed. Hinata wiped off her tears with a finger while Naruto used his jacket's sleeve. The atmosphere, the aura in the room, seemed to radiate nothing but joy and happiness. After the tears had been wiped away, Hinata took notice of the scene before her. It was almost like a dream. Here she was, spending time with Naruto and having fun too. They had just gone through a pillow fight, of all things, and she wasn't embarrassed at all. Even the blush on her cheeks came from the joy of the moment.

All aside, this moment was, in every way, the best moment of her life. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned her head, gazing fondly at the man in front of her. Almost without a doubt, she felt that Naruto would make a great father for her children.

Naruto had heard the sigh and turned to face Hinata. The look on her face had caught him off-guard. He had never been stared at so intensely… well… not without malice anyway. It was pretty frightening actually. He had grown used to the negative feelings towards him. But any positive ones always seemed to overwhelm him. Shocking him even more was that Hinata had gotten off the bed to walk towards him.

"H-Hinata?" Now it was Naruto's turn to stutter as she simply walked towards him. He, unconsciously, took a couple of steps back until his back hit the wall. Her gaze, so intense, deeply bothered him. But at the same time, it excited him as his heart began beating harder the closer Hinata came. Before he could ask, soft full lips pressed against his ever so slightly. He froze for a moment before giving in.

That tender moment seemed to last forever for Hinata. Never in all her life did she think she'd have the courage to pull off a stunt like that. But her heart had yearned for it, overwhelming her nervousness by a great deal. Now, she was glad that it had for she would've never experienced such a blissful moment with the man she loved. And… it seemed that Naruto was enjoying the experience also.

He had placed his hands on her hips and kissed back. He had never imagined that lips would taste so… sweet. When they finally stopped, he had pulled away, but only slightly. His mind was still trying to wrap around the sensations he had just felt.

"Naruto-kun…" She said breathlessly before Naruto captured her lips once again. He kissed her, with more fervor this time. It was like he was trying to claim her lips as his own. Slowly, Naruto had brought up a hand to place it on her cheek. But instead, it had ended up gently groping Hinata's soft breast along the way. Embarrassed, Naruto was about to let go until he felt Hinata moan into his mouth. The action had gotten Naruto to pull back from the kiss, but only slightly. It was just enough so that he could see Hinata's lavender orbs staring at him, a bedazzled look on her face. A blush ever so lightly presented itself on her cheeks. Her lips were parted.

He gave a squeeze and he saw Hinata close her eyes. It seemed she enjoyed it. Her own hand had come over Naruto's, making him squeeze once again. He could see Hinata biting her lip, seemingly enjoying this. Her neck had tilted back slightly as warm sensations filled her up. She bared her neck to Naruto, who by some sudden impulse decided to place his lips upon it.

A light gasp escaped Hinata's genlte lips as Naruto sucked on a vein on her neck, sending pleasant tingles everywhere. His lips suddenly left that spot, giving her a cool sensation from the lack of warmth. But she was greatly pleased when Naruto planted small kisses along her collarbone. She giggled a bit since she was ticklish there, but she then gave a fairly loud moan when he began nibbling on her earlobe.

Suddenly, the door slammed upon and a furious Hiashi came strolling through. "Unhand my daughter at once!" His angry voice startled the two teens and they quickly separated.

Realizing that it was her father, of all people, she quickly bowed and began apologizing. But not a word had escaped before Hiashi had asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Hinata was about to speak, but was once again cut off, only this time by Naruto. "Ah well, she invited me over so that she could teach me how to make babies."

Hinata suddenly placed a hand over Naruto's mouth, blushing red as a tomato. Did Naruto not know what that had sounded like? It sounded like she had planned on having sex with him! But all her embarrassment had turned into worry as Hiashi clutched his heart, bending over slightly.

She ran over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, before saying, "Are you alright Father?"

Hiashi merely sighed. "I'm too old for this." he stated, looking up at Hinata whose gaze was that of genuine worry and care. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it. No matter how hard he had been on her, Hinata would always worry about him. Hiashi had not been one to be sick often, but when he had, it had been Hinata who had stayed by his side. This had caused him to be even stricter on her, him thinking that it was a sign of weakness that she cared for him. Thankfully he had realized his mistake later on, thanks to Naruto, oddly enough.

As he straightened up, he gave one more sigh. He turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto, please go back home. I have something to discuss with Hinata."

Nodding, and slightly afraid, Naruto left through Hinata's window. Hiashi made a mental note to bar the window later on. Next, he turned to Hinata, whose rosy cheeks had gone slightly pale. For a moment, he felt a bit hurt that he still scared her. It had been already 6 months since he had last scolded her and yet, the fear still persisted. He mentally sighed, but began in a rough voice, "Hinata, what were you doing with the Uzumaki boy?"

Her lips parted as if to say something, but not a word came out. Yes, she was still definitely scared of him. "Were you planning on have sex with him?"

"No! Of course not Father!" Hinata had said, and he believed her. Hinata did not lie or rather; she lacked the capacity to lie.

"Good, because you cannot have sex until you marry, you understand right?" He said sternly, earning a nod from the shy Heiress.

"Good, so as long as you marry Naruto… you can do whatever you want afterwards." He waited for the information to sink in and when it did, he felt the strong urge to laugh. Hinata's dumbfounded look contained surprise, awe, and admiration. Her eyes shined with unshed tears as Hiashi gave a small smile.

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and in a kind and arm voice, said, "You have my blessings… Hinata."

He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, like Hinata's mother used to do, before turning to leave. As the door closed behind him, he failed to see Hinata mouth the words 'thank you' before her body shook from the wave of emotions, shedding tears of happiness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**This, I can say, is a story that basically wrote itself. I actually had something different… **_**much**_** different planned.**

**But I like it, and I hope you guys did too! Please don't forget to review, it annoys me when I get 80 favs and like, 2 reviews. Not that I don't appreciate, it means that 80 people liked my story, but it also means that only a few bothered to review.**


	2. Interrogation

"He did what!"

"When?

"Was he a good kisser?"

Exclaimed Sakura, Ten-Ten, and Ino respectively. At that moment, Hinata wished her coat was bigger so that she could hide in it. But she tried her best to answer the questions. "He k-kissed me… well, I kissed him. We kissed yesterday and… I liked the kiss…" Hinata tmidly replied.

A pause.

"Did he try to take advantage of you?"

"Was it romantic?"

"Did he grope you?"

They said, in the same order. Again, Hinata tried to answer. "No he didn't Sakura-san, yes it was romantic, and he groped me by accident… ahh… oh…" All of a sudden, she could feel the aura of the girls multiply and she felt herself shrink. What were they going to say now?

"Did you want me to kill him Hinata?" Sakura said with a fire in her eyes.

"Were his hands big?" Ten-Ten asked a bit shyly.

"Did it feel good?" Ino asked, feeling as if she was on a roll with the questions.

Hinata clasped her hands beneath the table before she replied, "No Sakura-san, don't kill him, yes his hands were big, yes it felt nice." Once again, she had admitted something she shouldn't have. But the rush of questions had not only confused her, but caught her off-guard, making her answer honestly. Or rather, more directly since she would've answered honestly anyway.

For once, there was absolute silence. Not just a pause, but silence. The girls honestly didn't know how to react to Hinata's truthful response.

Then, Ino gazed across the table and saw Sakura's face which sported a very strange look. Ino smirked. "Are you jealous that Naruto rubbed his manly hands over Hinata and not you Forehead?"

Looking up, she shot Ino a dirty look, who merely continued to smirk. "Me… jealous? As if! I mean, who would want Naruto touching them? He's not even manly enough!"

Ino rolled her eyes before replying, "Oh I don't know about that. I've seen him get _quite_ a few stares at from the ladies lately." Then she turned to Hinata, "But you've already got him bagged don't you, eh Hinata?"

Hinata bowed down her head, her hair hiding her face. "Umm… well… he hasn't a-asked me out y-yet."

Ino smiled at the timid girl. "Well, you better seduce him quickly before this large forehead decides to take him." Hinata's blush grew even redder at the thought of seducing Naruto. She just couldn't imagine herself doing that. But then again, she _had_ just spontaneously kissed him the other day. She was interrupted out of her musings when Sakura spoke up.

"Hmph! Like anyone would ever date that idiot. He's so insensitive, so childish, so… Naruto. He's not handsome or even cute. I mean, have you ever seen those marks on his face? They look like a cat scratched his face! All Naruto ever eats is ramen, of all things! And the color orange? Who even _likes _that color? Only Naru--"

"Shut up!" Hinata screamed, startling everyone at the table. All eyes turned to face Hinata, who had been feeling uneasy since Sakura had started speaking badly about Naruto. As Sakura's speech had progressed, Hinata had felt a dreadful sensation swell within her. It felt like acid was coursing through her veins. Underneath the table, she had clenched her hands into tight fists. Not long after, she couldn't stand Sakura's false accusations and so… she defended Naruto.

"I know that he doesn't always notice things. I know it sometimes takes him a while to understand and when he acts silly, he can get on anyone's nerves. But…" Hinata smiled, remembering Naruto's exploits before continuing, "That's also what makes him great. He fails to notice when he should give up. It takes him a while to understand that he shouldn't be able to defeat someone stronger than he is. His silliness can bring a joyful outlook to almost anything, no matter how dark it is. I should know, his cheerful attitude had made me happy many times simply by just looking at him."

"I don't know about you Sakura-san but to me, Naruto is the most handsome man on this planet. He's very kind, and he will sacrifice anything for the people he cares about, even his life. Any girl would be lucky to have him. I… want to be there for him when he becomes Hokage. I know he will, because he's Uzumaki Naruto dattebayo!" She exclaimed, all the while blushing. She took her seat afterwards, feeling that her legs were about to collapse from beneath her.

She was surprised when Ten-Ten spoke up. "That was so cute Hinata! Naruto definitely has a good woman right there, right Ino?"

Said blonde replied with a smirk. "Yup… and I'm pretty sure she'll be able to keep him happy in _all_ aspects too." She gave Hinata a sly wink, causing Hinata to sink into her chair from embarrassment. But oddly, she felt happy.

"T-Thank you." Hinata shyly replied. During all the congratulations, Sakura had merely watched as Hinata boldly defended Naruto. This caused her to think for a moment. Her first thought being whether Naruto really was as great as Hinata had said. But upon inspection, she found out that Hinata… was right. She remembered the fight with Gaara and though she hadn't been awake, she had heard it was Naruto who defeated him and not Sasuke. Another flash of memory reminded her of when Naruto told her that he had failed in bringing back Sasuke. He had been worried about her and not the ugly wounds that had covered his body. Sakura's eyes dimmed slightly as she realized that she had been wrong about Naruto.

"What's with that look Forehead? It's not like it's the end of the world! Come on, I know Hinata forgives you, right Hinata?" Ino said, beckoning the girl to say something.

"Y-Yes!" Hinata said, straightening herself out in the chair. The mention of her name had caught her off guard since she had expected a moment of peace instead. A pause filled the atmosphere before Ino got up fed up with the silence.

"Aren't you going to say something Forehead?" Ino asked, getting a dark look from said Forehead.

"Fine… I'm sorry Hinata." Then, she actually started to feel sorry, "You're right, Naruto really is a good guy and I hope that you two get together."

Suddenly, Ino spotted an orange figure walking down the street with what looked like a grass stem with hair. "Well speak of the devil, here he comes!" Ino said as she pointed outside. Everyone then turned and looked through the glass to see Naruto walking with Lee.

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Ino wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but it has Lee all riled up. Just look at the way he's bouncing!"

All girls hmmm'd in contemplation.

XXXxxxXXX

"YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY ASK HER OUT NARUTO-KUN!"yelled an excited Lee. Naruto had come to him, of all people, for advice on how to treat the situation with Hinata.

Lee of course, hadn't helped at all until he had stopped his ranting of youth, which had been an hour later. "I don't know Lee. Her father seemed kinda angry with me. I probably wasn't supposed to be in her room in the first place."

Suddenly, Lee stopped walking. "You didn't tell me you were in her room."

"Well it's not MY fault that you didn't stop rambling about youth for about an hour!" Naruto exclaimed.

Lee's wide eyes, if possible, got wider. He leaned in close to Naruto and whispered, "You didn't do any hanky panky did you?"

Naruto simply gave Lee a confused look. "Hanky Panky?"

Lee just stepped back and gave him a thumbs up. "That's right Naruto-kun." Then, Lee struck an odd pose before continuing, "My sensei Gai once told me that when a man and a woman are together in a room alone, THE FIRES OF YOUTH BEGIN TO CONSUME THEIR VERY SOULS UNTIL THEY FEEL THE NEED TO JOIN IN LOVE'S EMBRACE!"

Naruto merely sweat dropped. He didn't understand a word Lee had said, but he got the feeling that Gai told Lee that just to avoid the subject. Wait a minute, does that mean that Lee knew how babies are made? Curious, he was about to ask until someone else spoke up.

"Naruto!" Yelled Ino as she, Sakura, Hinata, and Ten-Ten walked up to them. However, Hinata seemed to be straggling behind and only seemed to actually move by Ten-Ten's coaxing.

"GREETINGS MY FELLOW FRIENDS! IS THIS NOT A LOVELY DAY?" Lee said, giving a sparking smile that nearly blinded everyone.

'_Did he upgrade his smile?'_ Ten-Ten thought, eye twitching slightly at the notion. "Sure Lee, whatever." Ten-Ten replied, already feeling tired. It was strange though. It seemed that Lee was more energetic than usual. Now she really _was_ curious as to what Naruto was to Lee about.

"Hi guys. What's up?" Naruto replied after putting his pinky in his ear, just to make sure he hadn't gone deaf.

"Oh, nothing much. We just saw you guys through the window and decided to say hi." Then she looked back, over her shoulder, "Right Hinata?"

Naruto and Hinata turned at exactly the same time only to catch each other's stare. Both turned away, a blush and a smile on each other's faces.

All the girls noticed this and giggled. Actually, Ino squealed with delight at the cute moment before she decided to push Hinata closer to Naruto. In her rush, she had accidentally pushed too hard and had caused Hinata to end up in Naruto's arms. Reflexively, Naruto had reached out and put his hands around her back, making sure that she didn't fall.

"Are you ok Hinata?" Naruto asked and Hinata replied by nodding into his chest. Then, an awkward silence ensued. Then again, it wasn't like they weren't enjoying being in each other's arms. It was awkward because the girls kept whispering behind Hinata's back while they made facial gestures to Naruto, telling him to kiss Hinata. Well, it was mostly Ino, but still.

However, Lee was not as subtle. "KISS! KISS! KISS! LET OUT YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH! LET IT BURN BRIGHTLY AS YOUR LIPS EMBRACE WITH PASSIONATE FERVOR!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Ten-Ten, in turn, decided to hit Lee on the head and afterwards gave him a long speech on not interrupting moments of privacy. And as they argued, Sakura simply watched Naruto continue to embrace Hinata. Even though the hug looked awkward, she couldn't help but feel as if they were enjoying this… whether the two realized it or not. After a moment, Sakura left the group discreetly in between Ten-Ten's scolding and Ino making faces at Naruto and Hinata.

Now thoroughly red in the face, Hinata tried hiding herself by burying her face in Naruto's chest. Naruto reflexively tightened his embrace as his eye twitched from annoyance at Lee's antics. However, he too sported a nice blush on his cheeks when Ino began making weird gestures with her face, lips, and tongue. It was as if she was telling him to stick his tongue inside Hinata's mouth. But that couldn't be it, Naruto figured, since that would be just plain weird. After a while of being embarrassed, Naruto got fed up with it and decided to try and get away from them.

He lowered his head and whispered to Hinata, "Ne Hinata… wanna get outta here?" Hinata replied by nodding. After giving Ino a sour look, he walked away with Hinata.

It didn't end there and as they walked away, Ino yelled, "Make sure to have tons of babies!"

Hinata's face took on a fiery red hue at the comment, just before she heard Naruto say, "Oh that's right! You never did tell me how babies were made Hinata."

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**Heh… Hinata crack ^_^**

**Read and Review… though I suppose you've already read since you're down here. Well, I guess just review then right?**

**Next chapter WILL be longer. I think this story might end up being 4-5 chapters long. So, yea.**


	3. Preparations

**By the way, when you see this: XXXxxxXXX, it not only means a scene change, but a time-skip. I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out. I was just worried that I forgot to mention that and confused some of my readers.**

**And yes, this is Shippuden timeline.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

As the months went by, Naruto and Hinata kept getting closer and closer. Their time together would become more frequent, their intimacy matching that of a glove to a hand. Even then there were many times when their faith was tested, especially during missions that required long time spent away from home. Thankfully, Hinata had finally explained to Naruto how babies were made. It had been… shocking to Naruto. He didn't know that his part was used for anything other than peeing. But now, three years later after the explanation and peace finally seemed to settle in the village, Naruto began thinking about his future with Hinata.

At the moment, Naruto was actually thinking so hard that he nearly walked past his favorite ramen stand. Had Hinata not called out his name, he would've definitely kept on walking.

"Naruto-kun!" A voice that seemed to be both soft and loud, called out.

Naruto looked up and turned his head to the left, then to the right until he found Hinata waving him over. With a smile, he walked beneath the curtains and sat down next to Hinata. "Hey Hinata. What's up?" He asked with a smile on his face, which Hinata returned.

"Nothing much. What about you? You looked like you were thinking hard about something." She said before breaking her chopsticks and feasting on the stringy noodles.

Naruto gave a hesitant chuckle. "Yea, you know… the usual missions and all. Obaa-chan keeps sending me on all these missions and she STILL hasn't even promoted me to Chuunin!"

Hinata paused from her meal and looked up at Naruto. He was grinning at her, but it wasn't the wide 'foxy' smile she usually saw. Instead, his eyes were open and his whisker marks barely crinkled. A sure sign that meant he wasn't as happy as he lead on. That is to say, he wasn't necessarily _unhappy_. Just not as happy as usual.

"2 miso old man." Naruto called to Teuchi, who simply nodded and went to work. Hinata had kept eyeing him throughout the entire time. Whatever it was Naruto was thinking about, it seemed he didn't want to talk about it or else he wouldn't have avoided eye contact with her.

But for a moment, she smiled. It seemed that she knew every quirk, every subtle gesture, every miniscule muscle movement Naruto did and knew the exact meaning behind it. But then again, they had been through a lot together. From simple walks to the mall to the near-death experiences, nothing was new to them and yet… everyday always seemed to be fresh for them. Deciding to just wait it out, she turned her head just in time just to avoid Naruto's gaze.

"You know I love you, right Hinata-hime?" Naruto said out of the blue. Now Hinata became worried. Whatever was bothering Naruto seemed to be highly important. She slowly turned to face him, giving him a look that held the utmost sincerity and love.

"Of course I do Naruto-kun. Why do you ask?" Her tone was calm, but straightforward. She didn't want to sound pushy, but at the same time, she wanted to maintain a level of curiosity so that Naruto knew she wasn't just humoring him.

But when Naruto gave her a smile, she couldn't help but smile back. That little dialogue seemed to have cheered him up a bit. His eyes shined once again and the smile, his genuine one, made the corner of his eyes crinkle. It was that smile, the one that seemed to be reserved for her, that always made her heart skip a beat. Sometimes when emotions ran high, they would end up in passionate make-out sessions. Just thinking about it made Hinata want to blush.

She saw Naruto raise an eyebrow. "You're blushing Hinata…"

Hinata simply smiled and looked away, preferring to stare at the noodles instead of him. Naruto simply smiled inwardly. He knew to a certain extent how powerful his smiles were to her. He simply chuckled and proceeded to eat his meal before it got cold. They ate in relative silence, but it was a comfortable one. Sometimes during missions when absolute silence was necessary, they would walk together and words would be exchanged between the two without either of them ever needing to open their mouths. Just sensing each other's auras was enough to warm their hearts and make their bond that much tighter.

Naruto peeked to the side and caught Hinata staring at him. She looked away shyly. But when she looked back, she noticed that Naruto had not let go of his stare. He stared at her with a penetrating gaze. It was almost as if he was trying to look into the future through her. Whatever his dilemma was, it seemed to be centered on her.

She was surprised when Naruto suddenly stood up and said, "It's settled!" Then he looked at Hinata, "Can I pick you up at around 8?"

"Sure Naruto-kun, but what for?" She asked, curious at his seemingly random actions.

"Nothing too important. But be sure to wear something fancy, k?" After he had finished talking, he leaned down and gave Hinata a soul-searing kiss that had left her breathless for the next couple of seconds.

After he pulled away, he gave her a wink and said, "See ya later Hinata-hime!" and with that, he walked away, leaving a stunned Hinata.

XXXxxxXXX

"Hmmm…" All three girls hummed in unison. Hinata had suddenly called for a meeting. When she had contacted them, she had sounded deeply confused. And like all the times she had called the meetings, the topic had been Naruto.

Now at this meeting, Hinata had told them about Naruto's weird actions and the strange way he had talked. Currently, Ino, Sakura, and Ten-Ten were trying to come up with a reason for Naruto's odd behavior.

"Maybe he's on a man-period?" Ten-Ten offered, earning face vaults from the girls.

"That only happens when you're 40 Ten-Ten." Sakura said, her eye twitching slightly. Ten-Ten merely sunk her head in embarrassment.

Ino had oddly been the quietest one, though no one had noticed since everyone else had been thinking as well. Many possibilities had come into her mind, but none of them seemed legitimate. She tried remembering if her boyfriend ever did anything like that. But knowing Shikamaru, he probably would've been just blunt and said what was bothering him. As she thought, a picture of her parents came to mind. She remembered asking her mom how her dad had proposed to her. She had then gone on an hour long tangent, but Ino basically got the gist of it. Her father had been worried if her mom was the right one, so he had asked many strange things one day and done many weird actions, just like Naruto had.

A light bulb lit up in her head, causing her to grin. So _that's_ what Naruto was planning. But she looked over the table and noted that everyone was still deep in thought.

Perfect.

She needed to find a way to get Hinata out of the room and explain to everyone else what was going on. After a moment, an idea struck her. "Well, Naruto is Naruto. He _is_ the world's most surprising person after all. I don't think it's anything weird. You should just go home and not worry about it."

All girls turned to stare at her, especially Hinata. "Really?" Hinata asked, unsure as to why Ino had dismissed such an important thing so quickly.

Ino merely waved her hand in front of her face in a dismissive gesture. "Yea… I'm pretty sure Naruto is just having an off day. You're pretty strange too when you're having a bad day Hinata."

Hinata narrowed her eyes in contemplation. But then she decided that Ino was right. Maybe she was just blowing things out of proportion again. But as she bid the girls farewell and walked out the door, she had a sneaking suspicion that Ino was hiding something from her. And that smile didn't help ease her already troubled mind.

Soon after the door shut, all the girls quickly huddled around Ino. "What are you thinking Ino?" Ino and Sakura asked excitedly.

"Well…" Ino drawled out, hoping to prolong their wait, "I was just thinking…"

"For once?" Sakura couldn't help but say.

Ino gave her a glare, making Sakura giggle. "Alright, I'm sorry Ino. But seriously, what's on your mind?"

After two second of glaring, Ino's stare finally softened. Then a smirk scribbled itself on her face. "Well… I was just thinking," She paused and gave Sakura an accusatory look. When Sakura didn't say anything, she continued, "I was just thinking about my parents."

Both Sakura and Ten-Ten sweat dropped. "What?" They both asked with disbelieving tones.

"Just listen!" Ino told them. She spoke again once she was sure she had their attention. "Hinata's description of Naruto reminded me of how my father acted when he proposed to my mom."

She saw the realization dawn on their faces and she couldn't help but smirk when Sakura excitedly said, "You mean that Naruto is going to propose to Hinata?"

When Ino nodded, Sakura and Ten-Ten squealed in absolute joy. Ten-Ten was literally bouncing up and down in her seat while Sakura began sputtering out the details of the wedding.

Suddenly, Sakura spoke up. "Are we going to spy on them?"

Ino smirked. "Do you even need to ask?"

All three smiled, but then Ten-Ten frowned. "But how are we going to do that?"

"Easy, we just henge ourselves, suppress our chakra and walk right in behind Naruto and Hinata." Ino beamed, proud of herself for thinking up of a plan so quickly.

But Ten-Ten ruined the moment by asking, "Do you even know where they're going to eat?"

"Oh that's right. Naruto just told Hinata he would pick her up, but she doesn't know where they're going." Sakura said.

Then, Ino snapped her fingers. "No problem! We just wait outside of the Hyuuga mansion for a while. Then when Naruto picks Hinata up, we follow them in disguise!"

"That… just might work." Sakura agreed.

"Isn't this an invasion of privacy?" Ten-Ten suddenly asked.

All the girls turned and looked at each other, before unanimously saying, "Nahh…"

And so, they went about their way and decided to spread the rumor while they were at it. Later on, they joined up at the Hyuuga mansion and waited patiently.

XXXxxxXXX

As Hinata opened the door to the mansion, she was greeted by Neji. "Welcome home Hinata… san, you haven't had sex with Naruto yet, right?"

Hinata couldn't help but sigh. Her father had put Neji in charge of her. This wasn't bad since Hinata and Neji were closer now, but sometimes Neji seemed to fail to see the line between being curious and being over protective. "No Neji, I did not have sex with Naruto-kun."

"Are you sure?" Neji said, just to make sure, but was put at ease with the glare Hinata was giving him.

But then he noted that she looked rushed. "Anything wrong Hinata…san?" He said, still not used to calling her without the –sama suffix.

Hinata merely offered a kind smile. "Everything's okay. But Naruto was acting strange today."

"How so?" Neji asked as he walked Hinata up to her room.

Hinata shrugged. "I honestly don't know, but he's picking me up at around 8." She paused, "I think he's planning something."

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked.

"I don't know. It's still too early to get ready. So I guess I'll just tend my garden for a bit to relax myself.

At Hinata's door, Neji offered a piece of advice. "Don't worry too much about it Hinata… san. I'm sure whatever he's planning, it'll be a positive thing."

Hinata gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Neji. Everyone's been telling me not to worry. I guess I should listen then."

Neji simply nodded before walking away, leaving Hinata to her thoughts.

XXXxxxXXX

"Are you sure about it?" Naruto asked the man, whom Naruto seemed to have annoyed.

"Yes." The man's voice, terse and strained, replied.

Naruto simply offered an apologetic smile. "Alright, thanks!" Then he handed the man the amount owed for the object. Once Naruto was out the door, the man gave a sigh of relief. Finally, he would have some peace and quiet. Then he looked at the counter and noticed the boy had forgotten the receipt.

When he looked at the price registered, he gave a low whistle.

XXXxxxXXX

'_I wonder what I should wear…'_ Hinata thought as she placed a dress in front of her, imagining it on herself in front of the mirror. She twisted to the left, trying to find out if the cut wouldn't show too much leg. Then she checked the other side. So far, this dress hadn't disappointed her. She smiled at herself. She was thankful that she had undergone one last change in her physique. Now her chest didn't make her want to fall forward. Instead, her body was now evenly proportional. She thanked kami for that. Breasts really were annoying, especially during missions. And she couldn't just use bandages like Ino or Sakura because they would constrict her blood flow due to the size of her breasts. At least now, they wouldn't bounce so much and they wouldn't jut out.

And besides, her breasts really were only meant for Naruto's pleasure and no one else's. She paused, and then blushed. Lately since missions were sparse, her pent up energy had turned into a _stress_ of sorts. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle… normally that is. But every time Naruto kissed her or touched her in any way, she would crave for more. She bit her lip, imagining Naruto's sensual hands rub across her bare neck and chest. But at the same time, she imagined Naruto whispering sweet words into her ear. She imagined him telling her how beautiful he thought she was, how much he loved and wanted to be with her. She imagined how he would tell her that she would make a wonderful mother.

When her eyes snapped open, the mirror revealed an intense blush that spread across, not only her face, but her neck as well. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the stray thoughts. Once her emotions cooled down, she slipped into her dress and proceeded to get ready. But even after this, the smile and blush still persisted. Her heart felt as if it were expanding with a sudden joy that seemed to pour into her heart from out of nowhere.

For reasons unknown to her, she felt that tonight was going to be a very special night.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

**I finally figured out when I do my best writing! Though my best ideas come at like, midnight – 2am, I only write well from 6-10 pm!**

**Sorry about that, revelations tend to get me excited ^_^**

**Oh! This story might be 4-5 chapters long. So be prepared for an awesome ending! (Hopefully anyways)**

**Read and Review!**

**P.S. I know some of you might have a question… and I probably know what that question is, but please be patient. You won't be disappointed!**


	4. Proposal

There he was, standing in front of the girl he loved. Hinata Hyuuga, the woman of his dreams and the one who had stolen his heart, was standing in front of him. Her visage seemed daunting, but then again, he _was_ on one knee.

Slowly, he pulled out a small purple box. He looked up to the woman he loved and said, "Hyuuga Hinata, will you marry me?"

Hinata gave him an intense look before saying, "I don't think that's gonna cut it. You're acting too tense and unnatural. You're going to make Hinata-hime think you're embarrassed about proposing to her.

Naruto simply dropped his head and dispelled the Hinata Kage Bunshin, deciding to think some more. So far, he had tried many different ways to be creative, but they hadn't worked. At least in his opinion anyway. Then he had decided to try and see if proposing the old-fashioned way might work, hence the Hinata Kage Bunshin. But the Bunshin had been right. He was for too nervous to do something so traditional and it didn't really fit his persona well. Naruto sighed wearily, feeling that he was thinking too hard on this.

So now Naruto plopped himself on the couch, his hands supporting his head. Maybe proposing right now wouldn't be such a good idea. He didn't regret any of the time he spent with Hinata. In fact, it brought a smile to his face. Truly, Hinata was one of a kind. She was caring, compassionate, beautiful, understanding… everything Naruto had ever wanted.

He sighed as he leaned back, his hands lazily falling to the side. Multiple questions ran around in his mind, wanting to be answered. None of them really had an answer except one. If anyone asked him whether he loved Hinata or not, the answer would be a loud: YES! That would be because he loved Hinata with all his heart, with all his _soul_. He was willing to do _anything_ for her. He would protect her from anything or anyone that would try to harm her. Just the thought of a hurt and wounded Hinata made his blood boil. Naruto was pretty sure that whoever hurt his Hinata would never live to see the next day. That person would be dead before the metaphorical hat hit the floor…

Suddenly, an idea hit him, causing a face-splitting grin to form on his face. This idea… it was just pure _genius_! Why hadn't he thought of it before? He couldn't believe that he, the ultimate prankster, didn't come up with this simple and elegant plan before now. Deciding not to dwell on it, he got ready and left his apartment.

XXXxxxXXX

The man heard the bell ring. He looked up and couldn't help but say, with exasperation clearly evident in his voice, "You again?"

Naruto simply offered him a sheepish smile. "Don't worry, it won't take too long this time, I promise!" Naruto said as he looked around the store.

"Better not…" The man muttered ominously. But he was glad Naruto wasn't asking questions while searching. It had been annoying enough last time and he definitely couldn't handle the mental strain again.

Suddenly, he heard Naruto give a noise of victory as he pulled something from the shelf. The man raised a curious eyebrow. Normally, he wouldn't sell the object Naruto held in his hand, but many people had been asking for them lately, especially civilians. So he figured Naruto was going with the trend.

Ringing up the price, he became annoyed when Naruto stopped him from wrapping up the gift. But the next words that came from the boy's mouth surprised him greatly. His eyes widened when Naruto had told him about his proposal surprise to the girl he loved. He had to admit, it was a very clever and original way to propose to someone. After Naruto gave the man the ring, he went to carry out the request with a smile on his face.

Kids these days…

Once he returned from the back of the store and gave the object back, he was happy that Naruto was pleased with his work. The gleam in Naruto's eye and the goofy smile was enough to make _anyone_ laugh. An ecstatic Naruto was always an amusing sight.

The man wished the best of luck to Naruto, who gave him a ramen coupon as a token of appreciation. Two bowls of free ramen is what the coupon had said. Putting the coupon away, he waved Naruto off, hoping that everything went well for the boy.

XXXxxxXXX

Hinata stood outside the gates of the mansion. The long, elegant purple dress that she wore was strapless and yet, it was very modest. The chest area hid her cleavage surprisingly well, though, one could tell she was well endowed. The cut on the sides of the dress only revealed the smallest portion of leg and wasn't overly revealing. It was just enough to give a small taste of what was hidden beneath the dress.

As she waited, she looked up and noticed the setting sun. It looked like it was too tired to cast its bright yellow light which dimmed to only a warm orange color. She couldn't help but be reminded of Naruto. He loved orange after all and not only that, he was like a sun, always bright. But he was _her_ sun. During the darkest of times, he had pulled her out of the abyss and given her hope. He had been there to comfort her… even at times when she felt she didn't deserve it or him. She smiled warmly, getting a few blushing stares from men who happened to walk by. She looked absolutely beautiful and she radiated this calming aura, which is why the men had stopped to stare. Her elegance stunned even the women who bonked their husband's heads for staring at Hinata.

All stares turned to the source of a loud and obnoxious voice that had disturbed the silence. "Hinata-hime!" The voice, belonging to an energetic blonde man, yelled.

Hinata turned and smiled, walking to Naruto and meeting him halfway. "Hi Naruto-kun."

Stopping in front of her, Naruto offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry I'm so late. I had to do something that I forgot to do earlier."

"It's alright Naruto-kun. At least you made it." She said kindly.

"Heh, thanks." Naruto said. Then he noticed the small crowd that formed around them. "I guess we better get going." He said, not really liking the way the crowd was staring at them.

Hinata turned her head and noticed that crowd also. The stares of the crowd caused a light plink blush to form on her cheeks. "Yea, I guess we need to go." She said feeling embarrassed by the wanton stares. She couldn't help but feel she was being mentally undressed.

Naruto grinned, offering an arm. "Then shall we go my beautiful lady?" Naruto said, as if telling the crowd that Hinata was his and only his.

Hinata's blush only grew darker as she linked her arm with his. "Okay." She said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder. The stares she felt had disappeared and she was no longer uncomfortable. Being with Naruto had definitely helped ease her nervousness. And so, they left at a steady pace towards their destination.

Neither Hinata nor Naruto noticed three girls following them from a distance. They were talking to each other though, that was simply a disguise. Their true objective was the couple in front of them. They couldn't help but giggle when Naruto planted a small kiss on Hinata's head.

XXXxxxXXX

Naruto looked back over his shoulder. Since a while back, he had the sneaking suspicion that they were being followed. Why they would be followed, he had no idea, but the feeling remained present.

Hinata noticed Naruto's distractedness and asked, "Is anything wrong Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked for a second longer before giving Hinata his attention. "Not really, I just thought I saw something weird."

There it was again. That weird smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. But at least he made eye contact with her, meaning that whatever it was, he didn't think it was too important to mention. Hinata let it slide before saying, "Oh, ok. So where are we going to eat?"

"We're going to eat at the Murasaki restaurant." Naruto said, making Hinata gasp.

"But Naruto-kun! That's expensive for you!" Hinata exclaimed, making Naruto sweat drop.

"What, you think I'm poor or something?" He said teasingly. But seeing Hinata's panicked look, he figured she had taken it seriously.

"N-No! I didn't mean that... it's just…" Her voice quieted when a finger pressed itself gently on her lips.

"It's okay Hinata-hime, it was only a joke." He said before planting a small kiss on her cheek. This earned an endearing blush on the Hyuuga's face.

"But about that… all those A-rank and few S-rank missions have made Gama-chan pretty fat. I've also been saving up just in case I wanted to spend some money on something…" Then he gave a peculiar look that Hinata could not decipher, "… or someone."

Not knowing how to react, she simply said, "Oh, ok then. Sorry for overreacting."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto said, offering a small smile.

They walked quietly for the remainder of the trip not that either minded. The sun had finally sunk and the peaceful night was one best enjoyed without words. Later, they finally arrived at the restaurant.

"Table for two please." Naruto said to a young man wearing a suit and tie.

The man nodded and ushered them in. Both Hinata and Naruto looked around. The restaurant itself was relatively simple. The roof was high, giving it a sense of grandeur. It was supported by large wooden beams. The floors themselves were wooden, but the seemed to shine from how well polished they were. There were tables on either side of Naruto and Hinata as they walked by. To the left were windows with which they could see the village with. It was truly a magnificent view.

To the right were mirrors that to Naruto, seemed to serve no real purpose. The only reason for them to be there, Naruto thought, was only to point out if the person was a messy eater or not. When he had told Hinata this, she simply giggled and called him silly. Naruto smiled and placed a hand on her hip, pulling her closer. Hinata blushed at how close they were, but liked the feeling of literally being side-to-side with Naruto.

Finally, they were seated near the back so as to give them relative peace and quiet. After sitting down in the booth, the man asked them what they would like to drink. Naruto ordered some orange juice, which earned a peculiar stare from the waiter. Hinata simply wanted water. The man's gaze lingered on Hinata for a while before he left to get their drinks.

The couple then picked up their menus and began looking through the variety of meals the place offered. Truly, there were some spectacular dishes. Hinata's nose crinkled. It wasn't that she thought Naruto was poor, but she would feel bad if she made Naruto pay for such expensive dishes. She didn't want him wasting his money. After all, there _were_ obvious differences in their wealth. Suddenly, she was brought of her thoughts by Naruto's voice.

"I know what you're thinking Hinata-him and don't worry about it. Just order whatever you want." Naruto said with a knowing look.

Hinata's mouth opened; surprised that he had guessed what she was thinking. "How did you know?" She asked with perplexed look upon her face.

Naruto pointed to her nose. "You're nose crinkles whenever you feel troubled or aren't too sure about something. You do a lot of things like that." He said, a loving gaze on his visage. "Sometimes, you look to the left when you really don't feel like talking, but won't actually stop the conversation. You also walk faster than normal when you're excited about something. Oh and, you also talk less when you're feeling peaceful… like the times when we just sit under a tree and enjoy the day or walk around the village. And then when you're happy, more than usually anyways, you tend to blush and you have a small smile on your face." Naruto chuckled softly, "It makes you look cute." He finished with a grin on his face.

Hinata blushed, feeling deeply touched that Naruto noticed such subtle gestures. It warmed her heart to know that Naruto really paid attention to her and didn't just pretend. A small ember flicked within her, exciting her senses. Her body tingled as it got warmer by simply hearing those words. Then she came to realize that those 'simple words' had turned her on. She tried to quell the rising emotions, but truly, her heart felt like it had been filled with an even greater love for the man sitting in front of her. It was an indescribable sensation. Her admiration, respect, and love had greatly increased and she felt a desire to be with Naruto, the likes of which she had never felt before.

Naruto noticed Hinata's new and odd behavior. Something was going on inside of her, but he couldn't quite place it. He had never seen her act this way. He noted the way her small hands gripped onto the menu. It was almost as if Hinata was afraid of letting go for fear of doing something drastic. But before he could take notice of anything else, the waiter had come with their drinks.

"Water for the lady and… orange juice… for the sir…" The waiter said a bit distastefully while handing Naruto his drink.

Naruto noticed the pause in his speech and asked, "Hey, is there a problem that I like orange juice?"

"No sir, none at all." The man replied.

"Then?" Naruto questioned.

"Well, no one orders orange juice for a dinner meal. Sorry if I embarrassed you." He said, making Naruto wonder if the waiter was being sincere or not. He really couldn't tell since the man spoke with a bland, disinterested voice. His voice was like a mixture between Shikamaru's lazy voice and Sauske's indifferent tone.

"I'll be back in a moment." The waiter then turned and left, leaving an annoyed Naurto.

"Well that was rude." Naruto said, turning his attention to Hinata only to be surprised. Hinata was chugging the water, not even stopping to breathe. This made Naruto wonder how she managed to gulp down the ice cubes. After a couple of seconds, she finally set the glass down, panting slightly.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Y-Yea… I was just thirsty is all." Hinata nervously replied, her eyes flicking to the left. Naruto got the hint that Hinata didn't want to talk… but he couldn't figure out what had made her so nervous and… was that steam coming out of her ears?

"Alright, are you ready to order?" The waiter asked as he came back, just as impassive as earlier.

"I'll have ramen…"

"With orange juice?" The waiter asked disbelievingly.

"Yea, got a problem with it?" Naruto said while glaring at the man, who lifted his hands in surrender.

"None at all sir." The waiter quickly replied. He quickly cleared his throat and continued, "What kind of ramen will it be?"

"I'll have the tonkotsu ramen." Naruto said, placing the menu down and taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Would you like some Narutomaki on your ramen?" The waiter asked, causing Naruto to turn towards him with a suspicious look on his face. He didn't think the waiter knew his name, but that was too much of a coincidence to be considered an accident.

"Yes… Yes I would." Naruto said and for a moment, he thought he saw the faintest of smiles on the man's lips. It was like a ghost, gone before you figure out if it really had been there.

"And what would the lady like?" The waiter asked, turning towards Hinata with a pleasant smile on his face. This earned a jealous glare from Naruto that Hinata noticed. Now that she was composed, Hinata couldn't help but smile. Though she wouldn't tell him, she loved it when he got jealous. Not only did he look cute pouting, but it also meant that he cared for her and that he wouldn't let anyone touch her. However, though she was pleased with Naruto's reaction, she did not like the way the man was flirting with her. He knew she was taken and yet, he had the gall to do such a thing. The man was brave, but very foolish.

"I'll have the Gyoza please." The waiter nodded and asked for the menu with a hand gesture.

Once the waiter had gotten her menu, he turned to leave, but not before saying. "If there's _anything_ you need miss, please feel free to call on me."

The waiter then quickly left, leaving behind a stunned and partially angry Naruto. "I'll be right back Hinata-hime." Naruto seethed and stood up and went to go have a _talk_ with the waiter.

Or he would have had Hinata not called out his name."It's alright Naruto-kun. I'll talk to him." She said, smiling a little too sweetly. Naruto slightly shivered as a sensation of dread suddenly overcame him. He remembered the last time he had seen her like this and it had not been pretty. Truly, Naruto felt sorry for the man that had crossed Hinata and now, the waiter. Who knew Jyuuken could render a male sterile?

Deciding to change the way the conversation was heading, he asked, "So how's your day been going so far?"

Hinata's dark mood seemed to diminish as she focused her attention on Naruto. "Well, I tended the garden again." Hinata couldn't help but smile when Naruto looked at her expectantly. "And no Naruto-kun, the strawberries aren't ripe enough to pick yet." She giggled when Naruto hung his head in disappointment. But she knew the reason why he was disappointed and frankly, she too was disappointed that the strawberries weren't growing quickly enough.

Just a year ago, they had gone out to buy some ice cream. Curiously, they both had forgotten their money at home and only had enough change to buy one ice cream. The ice-cream man had noticed that they were a couple and offered a free strawberry on top of the ice cream. Gladly accepting it, they slowly ate the ice cream, taking turns holding it. But during one point, they both looked at each other, then at the strawberry. They had debated on who should eat it when Naruto said that they should split it. Hinata agreed, but had blushed a deep crimson red when Naruto had put the strawberry between his teeth.

"See ifth you cans get ish" Naruto had said. Hinata had pouted, saying that it was unfair and too embarrassing. Naruto simply grinned, saying that if she didn't want to strawberry, he was simply going to eat it. Spurred on by the challenge, Hinata had tackled Naruto, giving him a memory he would never forget… not that he would want to. That had been the hottest make-out sessions in the history of Konoha.

Seriously, it was in the Konoha archives. Just look it up under 'strawberry' with reference to kissing and you'd find it. Sadly, no video or photographic evidence was shown since there had been no ninja with the equipment. After all, only ninja were allowed to carry cameras.

And now… Hinata planted strawberries in her garden… just in case they might want a little 'snack' when they were 'hungry'.

"Oh well," Said a dejected Naruto, "I guess we're going to have to wait till they're ready then…"

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, it'll only be a couple of weeks longer." Hinata said, not really sounding too enthusiastic herself.

"Hmm… yea, I guess so." Naruto righted his head up and looked at her. "Oh well."

They both sighed simultaneously, which lightened up the mood when they had realized it. It seemed that even their moods were in sync. "What about you Naruto-kun? What did you do today?"

"Me?" He asked, making Hinata reply by giving a slow nod. After all, Naruto was the only one there, who else could she have possibly been talking too? This was the first hint that she got that Naruto was planning something. Naruto never really learned how to be subtle when it came to hiding things. That isn't to say he wasn't great at confusing people.

"Well…" Naruto began, almost as if he was trying to make up a story in his head... which he was. "I went shopping today, but I think I annoyed the shopkeeper too much. He looked really happy when I left." Naruto gave a sheepish grin at the next part. "Then I had to come back and buy something else. Boy you should've seen the look on his face! It was like, 'Gah! What are you doing here again!' But luckily I went in and out quickly so I didn't bother him too much. At least he was nice enough to carry out my request."

"And what was that?" She asked, piqued as to what it could've been that Naruto bought. After all, Naruto wasn't known to go on shopping sprees unless it was ramen.

Suddenly, she saw Naruto a slightly panicked look on Naruto's face. His eyes veered away from hers and opted to look some random spot on the table. "Well… I bought… you know…"

"No, I don't know." Hinata replied, her voice brief but interested. Truly, what could have Naruto bought that made him so anxious?

"Uh… oh look! The food is coming!" Naruto said, happy for once to see the waiter, whom had just saved his secret from being revealed.

"Greetings. I trust that everything is going smoothly?" The waiter asked, particularly looking at Hinata and giving her a look she didn't want.

Hinata forced smile in order to be polite. But truly, she was getting ticked off by the man's behavior. After the waiter handed them the food, Hinata told him to wait a moment.

"Whatever you need ma'am. I'm at your _service_." The main said with charming smile. Naruto noticed this and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from getting up. He already knew Hinata would handle it, but that didn't mean he would forgive the guy for hitting on his girl. But then his anger disappeared and curiosity took hold when Hinata put a hand over her mouth so that he couldn't read her lips.

Naruto turned to the man and saw his smile slowly evaporate from his face. His mouth slowly parted as all color drained from his face, leaving him as pale as a sheet of paper. The shocked expression on his face turned to one of absolute horror as he saw Hinata continue whispering to the man. Now, Naruto could visibly see the man shake and honestly, Naruto was starting to feel nervous as well. Naruto saw the waiter give a grave nod before turning to leave with quick steps. Naruto turned to face a smiling Hinata, who seemed very pleased with herself.

"What did you say…" Naruto asked, completely flabbergasted by the scene that occurred.

"Oh… nothing special. I just told him that I was a taken lady and was happily in love." Hinata grinned happily. This was not a lie. In fact, those had been the exact words she had told the waiter… she just simply chose not to reveal her entire speech to Naruto.

"Alrighty then!" Naruto said, trying to change the topic. "I think my ramen looks good Hinata-hime, what about you?"

Hinata poked her food with the chopsticks and said, "I think it's ok, nothing too great."

Naruto couldn't help but grin, he knew what this was about. "Hinata-hime… you know that your cooking is by far the greatest in the world right?"

Hinata blushed, but beamed at Naruto's praise. "Thank you Naruto-kun." The smile on her face showed that she was glad that Naruto understood her so well.

"No problem! Now, let's dig in! Itadakimasu!" And with a snap of the chopsticks, Naruto proceeded to dig in as did Hinata, but with a lot more finesse.

XXXxxxXXX

"Whew!" Naruto let out a noise of satisfaction as he leaned back in the booth. "Man, that ramen was completely..." He saw Hinata give him the puppy eyes, but whether she was aware of it or not was a different matter, "… not as good as Hinata-hime's, but it was good in its own way!"

Hinata blinked, and then blushed when she realized what she had done. "Sorry! I didn't mean to …"

Naruto grinned. "It's okay Hinata. Anyways, it's the truth. Your cooking really is the best!"

A beautiful blush spread across her cheeks, staining them a wonderful red hue as Hinata gave a small smile. Truly, Naruto did care for her. Oh how she wished she could marry him, but she knew that it was a big step for ninjas to get married. The threat of dying on the mission was never a good way to raise a family. Still, Hinata dreamed of having a family… with Naruto that is. After all, every time she wondered what she looked for in a man, Naruto always fit the description. He was understanding, though a bit oblivious at times. He had a strong will and great inner and outer strength. He made her heart flutter with his genuine smiles and with the little things he did for her from time to time.

"What's wrong Hinata-hime?" Naruto asked when he heard Hinata sigh dreamily.

"Nothing's wrong Naruto-kun. It's just…" she paused and shook her head. "Nothing, it's just a dream I've had for a while."

"Oh" Naruto scratched his head, wondering what Hinata could possibly be draeming about. He shrugged, but rubbed his hands in nervousness.

It was time.

"Hey Hinata. How long have we been together?" Naruto asked, trying not to ruin the surprise right away. He wanted the moment to be perfect.

"3 years, 5 months and 17 days." Hinata automatically replied, which earned a raised eyebrow fron Narut. Hinata blinked, and then covered her face with her hands when she realized the embarrassing thing she had said.

But thankfully, Naruto simply chuckled before saying, "Don't be embarrassed Hinata-hime. I'm actually very touched that you kept such an accurate count." Naruto let out a happy sigh, "It makes me feel loved."

Hinata eyed Naruto for a moment before bringing her hand across the table and placing it on Naruto's hand. "Is there anything wrong?" She asked quietly.

Naruto flashed her one of those genuine smiles, making Hinata's heart skip a beat. "Nothing at all" He replied, "But actually, there's something I've been wanting to give you."

Suddenly, the entire restaurant grew quiet, not that the couple knew. "Here we go!" Naruto said as he pulled a scroll from his pocket.

He concentrated some chakra on the paper and out came an oddly-shaped object wrapped in purple wrapping. There was a lavender bow on top. He handed it to Hinata, who gratefully took it. She flipped the present over, truly wondering what it was. With one hand, she slowly began to peel off the wrapping, her heart beating excitedly against her chest for some strange reason. She honestly did not know why. It wasn't a ring, so why was she getting so worked up?

Her eyes widened in surprise. Truly, this had been one of the strangest gifts she had ever received. "It's a hat. Oh wow! It has my name on it." She said as she noticed her name etched in gold on the hat's rim. She looked up at Naruto with a grateful smile, "Thank you Naruto-kun!"

"WHAT!" The crowd let loose a monstrous yell, nearly causing Naruto and Hinata to fall out of their booth.

Smoke surrounded one girl with black hair and when it dispersed, it revealed an upset Sakura. "NARUTOOOO!" She yelled.

Pressing his back against the wall, Naruto nervously yelled back, "W-What! I didn't do anything! Not this time anyways!"

The rest of the 'crowd' was also covered in smoke, revealing the rookie nine and their senseis. "And here I thought he was going to propose to her." Ino said with a hand on her hips. She had a small frown upon her face as she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Suddenly, Naruto was jerked out of his seat, coming face-to-face with a pissed of Sakura. "First, you get us all riled up and then you're not going to propose!" She yelled as she pulled back her fist, ready to annihilate Naruto.

"Wait Sakura-san." Came Hinata's soft and gentle voice. Sakura in turn, kept her hand at the ready as she turned her heard. She saw a smiling Hinata, who was on the brink of tears. Hinata showed Sakura the inside of the hat, which had small card stuck on the inside and a ring hanging from it. The card had a picture of a chibi Naruto saying, 'Marry me please?"

Naruto fell to the floor as did Sakura's jaw. Sakura could not believe that he had actually proposed. She had _wanted_ Naruto to propose, but when she had heard Hinata say it was a hat, she was too pissed off to think it was a surprise within a surprise. Naruto in turn got up and dusted himself, blowing a raspberry towards Sakura, who shied away in embarrassment.

"Well what do you know…" Kakashi said, a small smile forming beneath his mask.

"Guess the brat actually did it, eh Iruka-kun?" Anko said as she wrapped an arm around Iruka's neck.

"Y-Yea, I guess so." Iruka smiled, proud that his pupil had finally taken that one major step in life. Iruka was sure that Naruto would never regret it.

As Naruto turned around, he gave Hinata a bashful smile as he scratched the back of his head. "So uh… yes?" He asked, feeling like his stomach was being used as one of Lee's punching bags.

Hinata's response was to simply jump from the booth and onto Naruto, planting a hasty kiss on his lips. Naruto caught her in time before they both fell and steadied her. Still in the kiss, Naruto deepened it and lovingly wrapped her in a warm embrace. They could feel the love they had for one another flowing within each other. It was a mystical feeling. They were happy beyond belief and just couldn't help but express it. Both were panting slightly when the pulled away, too lost in their own little word to hear the whistles and yowls of the crowd.

"So I guess this means yes?" Naruto laughed when Hinata nodded quickly, too shocked for the words the come out.

"I love you so much Hinata-hime." Naruto said before he took her lips into another zesty, soul-searing kiss. The crowd around them erupted into congratulatory cheers and the overall atmosphere was a happy and pleasant one.

**XXXxxxXXX**

**Thanks to 'The-Eighth-Sin' who gave me the hat idea though… I think I might've changed it up a bit.**

**I feel all fuzzy and warm inside… and I hope you do too! This was by far the longest chapter I have EVER made! I'm very proud of it, I just hope I got the portrayal of the proposal was the way I thought in my head… err… yea. Sorry I'm not making sense, it took a lot of my thinking power to make this, not that it didn't deserve it!**

**Read and review!**

**P.S. Yes, I did say the story would be 4-5 chapters. But judging from the way the story is writing itself, don't be surprised when an extra chapter is thrown in there.**


	5. Marriage

**I've never been to any nor seen any weddings, Japanese or American, so pardon if it doesn't have the wedding feeling to it. Oh, and if it's not in the right order, sorry, but I looked up many different types of wedding ceremonies and all seemed to have a different order. So, I went with the one that sounded best. I tried to keep it as close to a real wedding as possible so it might be a bit lengthy.**

**But I think you'll enjoy it. ^_^**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

XXXxxxXXX

Now, the girls were huddled in a tight bunch. Giggles erupted from the excited girls every now and then when they saw a cute dress, or a nice pair of shoes, or something that simply looked cute. Hinata was really grateful to have them help. Truly she was because she didn't think that she could pull it off all by herself. But she could do away with all the high-pitched squeals since they hurt her ears.

She would smile politely every so often when they showed her a dress. They would ask her whether she liked it or not. But they would always pull the magazine away and pick another dress before Hinata could even give a reply. This was mostly Ino and Sakura though since Ten-Ten would offer an apologetic smile whenever this happened.

Another high-pitched squeal startled Hinata out of her thoughts as Sakura and Ino pressed a magazine to her face, nearly suffocating her. "Look!" Ino said with obvious excitement. "This dress is so pretty! It would totally bring out your eyes Hinata!"

It seemed they really liked the dress since they didn't pull the magazine backk to look at another dress. Slowly, Hinata grabbed the magazine and began to look at the description, then the picture of the dress. Hinata couldn't help but sweat-drop. The dress was a little… revealing to say the least. The back was already uncovered enough as it was to the point that you could nearly see her butt. Then there was a diamond-shaped cut in the chest area which showed the cleavage of the girl in the dress.

"It's… nice." Hinata replied, unsure if she should really voice her feelings on the dress.

"Next dress!" Ino then grabbed the magazine from Hinata's hand and proceeded to look for another one that would 'fit' Hinata. In reality, she was just looking for dress that she herself would look cute in.

Hinata gave a tired sigh, which Ten-Ten thankfully noticed. "Umm… guys? I think we should at least let Hinata choose some of the dresses." Ten-Ten said before Sakura and Ino looked up.

Sakura finally realized what had just transpired and could only offer a sheepish grin while Ino merely frowned. "Aww! But I was having so much fun!" Ino whined.

"Yea, but this is Hinta's wedding and not ours Ino." Ten-Ten replied sternly.

"Fine!" Ino said as she handed the magazine to Hinata. She then crossed her arms over her chest and waited not so patiently.

A couple of minutes ticked by as Hinata flipped through the magazine page by page. Finally, Hinata had found a dress she liked and held up the magazine to show the girls. Sakura smiled, indicating that she was pleased with her decision. Ten-Ten also gave a nod of her head, but Ino frowned.

"What? Do you want to look like a nun? I can barely see your face in that thing!" Ino said, distraught at Hinata's lack of taste.

"Well Ino, we don't want to show everything like you always do." Sakura teased as she pointed at Ino's outfit. Sakura only got a dirty glare in reply.

"Well, I can see both points. I know you like being modest Hinata, especially with your… curves," Ten-Ten said, making Hinata unconsciously fold her arms over her chest. "But you also want to dazzle Naruto with your beauty."

A moment of silence ensued, and then all the girls nodded, accepting Ten-Ten's reasoning though Ino's acceptance was a little reluctant. So now in a united effort, they placed the magazine on the ground so that everyone would get an equal view. Slowly, they went through the magazine, page by page, until finally they spotted a dress that they all agreed upon.

It was a simple, one-piece, strapless light lavender dress. The bottom of the dress rippled down in an ocean like wave and flowed out gracefully from behind. The dress itself covered enough of Hinata to make her feel pleased, but not make her look like a nun as Ino had put it. It also had elbow length gloves of the same color. It was so simple, so nice…

Hinata would look beautiful in it.

XXXxxxXXX

"How did I get stuck doing this troublesome thing?" Shikamaru's lazy voice said. He then gave a yawn and craned his neck until he heard an audible pop.

"Well, you're really the only guy who knows about this kind of stuff. I can't ask Lee because… well… I really don't want to wear spandex on my wedding day. Sasuke is still gone. Neji would somehow make me braid my hair. Chouji is okay I guess, but he'd probably make me buy him a meal that would make me go bankrupt and Sai… well… let's just not go there." Naruto finished with a shudder.

Shikamaru could only nod in agreement seeing Naruto's unflawed logic. But he still found it troublesome nonetheless. "So, what is it that you need?"

Naruto scratched his head as he thought about it for a moment. "I really don't know. Have you ever been to any weddings?" Shikamaru shook his head, making Naruto sigh.

"Man, this is going to be so troublesome." Naruto muttered, phrasing word for word Shikamaru's thoughts.

"Yea, it is. I guess I have no choice then." Shikamaru sighed when Naruto gave an enthusiastic shout. With all his genius, he still couldn't figure out how the blonde always kept that same attitude.

They finally entered a store a minute later. Both Shikamaru and Naruto gulped. This was going to be a _long_ day.

XXXxxxXXX

So time passed and with the help of their friends… Naruto and Hinata nearly committed suicide. They were grateful for the help of their friends, but this was going absolutely nowhere! Everything seemed to be going in a circle from planning the location, to planning the date, to simply planning on what kind of silverware they would use at the wedding.

So now, Hinata and Naruto were walking to another 'meeting' with their friends. As they walked, they bounced ideas off one another and it came to Hinata's surprise when Naruto asked if they should instead have a simple wedding ceremony. No need for fancy cakes or expensive silverware. Hinata was all too happy to agree. She had been through too many 'family banquets' and she _always_ dreaded going to them. Having to plan for an event that only lasted for so long always seemed like a waste of time to her, but she had never voiced her opinion. After all, it was for the good of the clan.

Another surprise came when Naruto proposed the wedding be held on top of the Hokage Mountain. It was such a simple, yet clever idea. But she had to deny Naruto when he proposed the menu consist only of ramen. She couldn't help but giggle at Naruto's disappointed look.

Suddenly, she was swept off her feet before being dipped backwards slightly. Her eyes met the mischievous ones that Naruto held, causing her breath to pause in her lungs. With a smirk in his voice, Naruto said, "Then I'll just have to eat _you_." Swiftly, he planted an electrifying kiss on Hinata's lips before pulling away.

"Tasty." Naruto said with a grin on his lips. All the while, Hinata was blushing deeply. She had been hoping no one heard, _especially_ Kakashi or Jiraiya. Though Naruto didn't realize the connotation behind those words, if Kakashi or Jiraiya had heard, they would've surely blown it out of proportion and spread rumors or worse… right a book about them.

"N-Naruto-kun…" She stuttered for the first time in 2 years. His eyes still held that mischievous glint, but it wasn't even remotely close to the ones Kakashi or Jiraiya sometimes had. It was more of a childish and innocent kind of mischievousness.

Finally, a blush too appeared on Naruto's face from the intense look he was receiving from the girl he loved. Looking away with an embarrassed look on his face, he said, "I-I guess we should get going. They're probably sick of waiting for us."

Hinata gave a small smile and nodded. They exchanged loving glances as Naruto wrapped an affectionate arm around Hinata's waist. Slowly, he pulled her closer as Hinata rested her head on his shoulder. They walked like that for the remainder of the way, unaware of the eyes hiding in the shadows.

The man smiled as he jotted down some notes on his sketchpad.

XXXxxxXXX

The soft murmurs of the crowd filled the air, each an exciting whisper on the event that was about to unfold. All of the rookie nine and their families were there, excluding Sasuke.

Naruto stood beneath a small, dome-like wooden frame that had the Hyuuga and Uzumaki symbols etched into its frame. His eyes gazed at the ground and he could feel his pulse quicken. Today was the day he was going to get married. It all seemed so unreal to him. Even though he was already going through with it, thinking about it still made his stomach flip around. But in a weird way, he was happy and calm. He had no regrets about marrying Hinata. He just hoped that he could provide her with all the happiness she deserved. He nearly fell backwards when the music began playing in the background, a soft melody filling the air.

Naruto saw as Lee and Sakura walked together, arm in arm. Sakura gave a congratulatory smile while Lee gave one of his 'sun' smiles that nearly blinded Naruto. They stopped a few feet in front of him, then went to either side of Naruto. This process continued until Sakura, Ten-Ten, and Ino were to the right of him and Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru were to his left.

Then… he spotted her. His heart paused from its constant beating as it stood still in time and space. She looked absolutely stunning. The setting sun had cast a soft glow around her, making her skin radiate. Her eyes, soft and focused, held an excited gleam to them. Her smile shined brighter than of Lee's, though thankfully without blinding him. The aura that came from her made his heart expand as a warm feeling spread throughout his body. Naruto could only think of how lucky he was to be marrying such a wonderful woman. It all felt like a dream, and he certainly hoped it wasn't and if it was, he didn't want to wake up.

Finally he noticed that Hinata's arm was linked with Hiashi's as they strode closer. Finally, the moment came and Hiashi hugged his daughter before handing her off to Naruto. As Naruto and Hinata turned to look at one another, they couldn't help but smile, both feeling a nervous excitement within themselves. They were about to take a big step, one that would change their lives forever. They giddily walked up before the priest and waited for him to speak.

"We are gathered together on this beautiful afternoon to share with Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto as they exchange vows of their everlasting love." The priest began.

"We are privileged to witness the joyous love of a new family," The priest's loud voice boomed, "A family that will be nourished and nurtured through the devotion of two separate individuals growing together through the common bonds of love. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God's children. And may Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata both look forward to each new season of their marriage --- just as the world looks forward to each new season of the year."

"For all seasons bring with them their own special moments and memories. An essential requirement of a good marriage is a strong bond of real friendship and trust. Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual affection and respect for each other. To truly LOVE another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points, and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect."

The priest paused for a moment before continuing with a smile on his face, "The vows you are about to exchange, will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as anything that can be seen, heard or touched. For it is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one --- but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls."

"Let us pray." The priest said before bowing his head. Everyone attending also bowed their heads in respect of the holy union before them.

After a minute of silence, the priest raised his head and said, "At this time, I'll ask you, Uzumaki Naruto, and you, Hyuuga Hinata, to face each other and take each other's hands." Naruto and Hinata complied and turned to face each other. They smiled at each other, their hearts beating rapidly within their chests. Naruto could feel Hinata's hands tremble slightly from happiness and excitement. Little did he know that he himself had begun to sweat.

"Uzumaki Naruto, will you take Hyuuga Hinata to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

For a moment before his response, all noise ceased as the background turned black with Hinata being the only thing he could see. Naruto stared deeply into Hinata's eyes. He didn't know whether it was the high of the moment or all the emotions running through him, but he could almost see his future with her. He could already feel her within his blood and as he peered into those gentle and caring eyes… he could _see_ himself playing with his unborn children, their joyous giggles echoing within his mind.

Naruto had never been so sure in his life about the words he was about to utter. With a soft smile and a warm expression upon his face, he said, "Yes, I do."

The priest smiled, seeing the love shine in Naruto's eyes. It was when the couple in front of him held true love that he enjoyed these ceremonies. Then, turning to Hinata, he said, "Hyuuga Hinata, will you take Uzumaki Naruto to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

Hinata's throat felt tight as tears welled up in her eyes. She had never been so happy in her life. She could still remember the time when her former shy self followed Naruto around, seeing him train to himself to the ground. She remembered the times when she had always just wanted to reach out to help him, to offer him words of comfort, but had been too shy. And now, here she was, about to marry that same boy that she had grown to admire and love.

As the tears rolled down her soft and pale cheeks, she let out a choked, "Yes… I DO!"

This caused many in the crowd to either laugh at the tenderness of the moment or cry along with Hinata. The priest simply offered a heartfelt smile as he finally said, "At this time, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata will take turns exchanging the vows that they have prepared for one another. These vows are a proclamation of their love, devotion, and eternal promise to each other as they enter into this blessed union. Uzumaki Naruto, please receive your vows from you best man."

Naruto complied and grabbed his vows from Shikamaru. Looking at the paper before him, he cleared his throat nervously and blinked his eyes. For a moment, the words on the paper seemed to crawl off the page and he couldn't read anything it said. But then, in a shocking moment, he ripped up the paper and flung the piece into the air. Tentatively, he took hold of Hinata's hands once again before he began speaking from the bottom of his heart, "Hinata-hime. I wrote a bunch of it down, but Shikamaru helped me for the most part. What I want to say is that I want all the words to be from my mouth."

Naruto took a deep breath before continuing. "Hinata-hime, I used to think you were a weird, shy and dark girl." The crowd laughed at this before letting Naruto continue, "Now, I think you're just a weird woman." Again the crowd laughed as Hinata's cheeks turned a pink hue. "But you're _my_ weird woman. I know that when I'm with you, I can accomplish any goals and face any challenges that come my way. You make my entire world. You made me realize what it feels like to wake up every morning, and go to sleep every night, for the sole purpose of being with the one you love. You make me smile every time I catch you looking at me and you don't notice. I love that look on your face. I wish that I could just take a picture and frame it within my heart. You make me feel so loved and you give me the absolute bestest feelings in the world!"

"Hinata-hime, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I promise I will enjoy every moment with you, whether it'd be you trying to make me stop eating ramen or when you're sick and I have to take care of you." Naruto then gave a goofy grin, "I actually like it when you're sick because I get to kiss you when you're not awake."

Hinata's blush intensified when the crowd gave a series of Awww's. Naruto smiled before he took one last breath full of air in order to complete his vows. "I promise Hinata-hime, to always protect you, to always be with you, and to always love you." Naruto finished with a firm, yet gentle tone. He blue eyes held the utmost love for the girl in front of him. He truly meant his words.

Now it was Hinata's turn as she received her vows from Ten-Ten. With trembling hands, her equally shaky voice spoke, "N-Naruto-kun… I trust you so much. You have b-been the light that shined when I was in the dark. You showed me the way. I w-was always chasing you, wanting to overtake you. I just wanted to talk with you. I wanted to be with you. You changed me, your smile saved me. So now, I'm not afraid of anything. I give all of myself to you Naruto-kun."

Her lips trembled as her eyes filled with more tears. Still steadfast and strong, she continued. "I promise you that tonight, I will hold you and cherish more than ever before. I promise you my whole mind, body and soul. In front of everyone and underneath the stars, I promise you, Naruto-kun, that I'm yours and yours alone. I promise to you tomorrow and the rest of my life. I will fight and protect you, to be at your side. I give to you all my passion, courage, and strength."

Hinata paused. Her speech was reaching its end and she felt the trembling in her heart continue to grow with each word she spoke. "I promise you all that I am, all that I will ever be, forever and ever." Quietly, Hinata handed her vows to Ten-Ten, who took it gently away with a small smile on her face.

The priest let the crowd get used to the emotions running high in the air around them before continuing with the ceremony. "And now as a token of your love and of the deep desire to be united with one another in heart and soul, please receive your rings from the best man and maid of honor."

Both turned Naruto and Hinata turned to get their rings from Shikamaru and Ten-Ten respectively. Turning around with rings in their hands, the priest continued. "Uzumaki Naruto, please put the ring on Hyuuga Hinata's finger and repeat after me: Hinata, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you."

Naruto gingerly slipped the ring over Hinata's finger before repeating what the priest had said. Hinata looked at the ring and couldn't stop the smile that had formed on her face. Her free hand touched the ring gently as she fully realized the symbolism behind the ring. She looked up at Naruto, whose features seemed to stick out as the light of the setting sun hit his face. His yellow hair seemed more vibrant and energetic and his whiskers marks made him look manlier, like a war veteran who had seen countless battles. She gave a smile to which Naruto replied with a smile of his own.

"Hyuuga Hinata, please put the ring on Uzumaki Naruto's finger and repeat after me: Naruto, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you." Hinata put the ring on to Naruto's wiggling finger and giggled when he caressed her hand gently, showing his affection without interrupting the ceremony. She then repeated the priest's words.

"Now that Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto have given themselves to each other by the promises they have exchanged, I pronounce them husband and wife. Uzumaki Naruto, you may kiss the bride."

The crowd held their breath as Naruto and Hinata faced each other. Their faces inched ever so slowly to each others. Finally, after an excruciating five seconds, their lips met in a tender touch, causing the crowd to erupt in applause and cheer with Hiashi leading in loudness of applause and amount of tears being shed. Not even Gai's and Lee's tears combined out flowed Hiashi's.

But the world was lost to the couple. Nothing existed outside of the kiss as they sealed their bonds with each other permanently. They felt each other's happiness flow within and around them, encompassing them in the warm feeling of love. Their hearts beat together in sync as their souls finally united to become one. Slowly, their lips separated and they looked into each other's eyes.

"We did it." Naruto's trembling voice said. A couple of tears escaped and trickled down his cheek as testament to the overwhelming happiness he was feeling.

"Yea… we did." Hinata's voice quivered as fresh tears fell down her rosy cheeks as well.

"I love you so much Hinata-hime." Naruto said as he cupped her cheek with a warm hand.

"I love you too Naruto-kun." She said before she was pulled into another tender and love-filled kiss.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**I think I need a tissue. But yes! I was very pleased with this chapter. I just hope I keep improving.**

**My inspiration was this song by Bryan Adams called "To really love a woman"**

**Listen to it. It truly is a magnificent song!**


	6. Word from Author

Alright, this story is up for adoption. Sorry for this guys, but I'm in college and I don't think I'll have time to finish this story.

If you want, you can take it and write it the way you want it. Make sure to give me the link cuz I want to be able to see what you mold it into :)

I'm laughing about my "What did Hinata just do!" Story because it has 210 reviews… and is STILL getting reviews even though I haven't updated in 1-2 years.

So yea… the only story I'm continuing is "Bleach at Youkai Academy" since it has a storyline and the only thing I really need to do is tweak it and mix it up a little.

Sorry if any of you are disappointed, but this is how it'll be. Till later

~Romez


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